Friends and Enemies II: Vengeance
by SiameseSisters
Summary: Sequel to Friends and Enemies. Dark Ace seeks revenge on Stork for his humiliation, and Master Cyclonis makes another plan to take over Atmos, this time targetting all the Sky Knights... Rated for violence, blood, gore, language, and StorkPiper. Chap 6 up
1. Fallen from Grace

It's been a long wait, but the sequel to my fic "Friends and Enemies" is finally here!

Here's a recap: The Cyclonians set about taking over Atmos by mass killing of lives on the Terras. Dark Ace forced Stork into betraying the team, but Stork came through in the end, rejoined the team, thwarted the Cyclonians' plans and defeated Dark Ace. In Dark Ace and Stork's final fight, they both inflicted near-fatal injuries on each other. Fortunately, Stork survived. Unfortunately, Dark Ace survived too.

Now, Dark Ace and Stork both think each other is dead, but they are about to discover the truth. And Master Cyclonis has devised a new plan of taking over Atmos, which will also single out another Storm Hawk and tear the team apart.

As with my first fic, this fic contains violence, blood, gore, language and more StorkPiper references.

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Chapter 1: Fallen from Grace

Dark Ace collapsed onto the surface of the pontoon. The glowing green katana rose into the air and came down, the tip of the blade stabbing his chest. He made a choking, retch-like scream as the blade pulled down, tearing through his chest, stomach and gut. A three fingered hand delved deep into the wound and began to pull out the slimy rope of his intestines.

Dark Ace could not feel any pain, only fear, looking up at his attacker, a silhouetted figure whose slim posture, elongated head and pointed ears were that of a Merb. He could not move either; he was completely paralyzed. He could only watch on as the assailant raised his head and laughed a deep demonic laugh. He knew what was coming next.

The katana rose again, as it had done all the previous times, and plunged deep into Dark Ace's left eye. He screamed, blood streaming over his face. Through his remaining eye, he watched as the black space of the attacker's face faded, revealing the light green Merb skin-tone, a pair of pale yellow eyes, and oil-black hair, falling over the side of his face. A single name stuck out in Dark Ace's mind;

Stork.

* * *

Dark Ace awoke with a start, screaming hoarsely through his dry throat. He silenced immediately and sat up on his bed, wiping a layer of sweat from his forehead. He clambered out and proceeded to dress into his Cyclonian uniform.

Pulling on his black, skin tight legs, he glanced at his wall mirror. Stretching from his collar bone, right down his middle and across his chest and stomach to his gut, was an immense scar. It was thin, but the length of it made his body look ugly. He had a second scar, this one in place of where his left eye should have been. It was much smaller, but it resembled a tree root, a thick twine of flesh.

"Six months..." he muttered to himself, "six months, and still these nightmares torment me..."

Six months ago, Dark Ace had been involved in a fight to the death with the Storm Hawks' carrier pilot, Stork. He had been unexpectedly talented and strong. The merb had fought Dark Ace with all he was worth and had been the cause of both his scars. The large scar down his body had been the result of an injury by Stork's katana that had almost entirely eviscerated him. Stork had left him to die, but Dark Ace had taken a final shot at him with his sword, deciding that if he was going to die, then Stork would die with him. But he had been lucky, having been found by a Talon and taken back to Cyclonia to heal.

His scars may have healed well, but the near-death experience had left Dark Ace somewhat traumatized, the fateful day reenacted numerous times in his dreams. He had tried to dismiss these dreams as merely aftermath shock, but they had continued throughout the entire six months it had taken for him to heal. It soon became apparent to him that the dreams may never recede and would probably last his entire lifetime. Like with his scars, Dark Ace would just have to bite the bullet and carry on. Master Cyclonis would not care if he suffered.

A knock came at his door, "What?!" he shouted, back turned.

A Talon entered, "Dark Ace, Master Cyclonis has summoned for you."

She must be tired of waiting, he thought, "Fine, Go!" he commanded.

* * *

"When I told you not to come back until you had healed, I didn't expect you to waste half a year of my life." Master Cyclonis hissed as Dark Ace entered her chamber.

"Well, an evisceration wound doesn't exactly heal overnight." he answered bitterly.

"Nevertheless, I have devised a new plan. We tried to take over the Terras last time and we failed. So this time, we'll take over the Sky Knights. I'm sending you after all the Sky Knight squadrons in Atmos to carry out a 'special' type of attack on them. The tracking devices I've sent to them all should have entered the systems of them. Take the battalion I've prepared for you, and track each squadron down," she turned to him, "and you'll need this."

She handed him what looked like a small leather bridle, a tiny black thorn attached to one of the straps.

"And what is this?" Dark Ace asked, taking the device.

Master Cyclonis smiled, and began to explain...

To be continued.

* * *

And it begins... again... SS.


	2. Jaxx the Mercenary

OK, this chapter introduces a new character, Jaxx, who belongs to Dotskip317 and who has very kindly given me permission to put her into the fic.

This chapter is especially for you, Dotskip!

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Chapter 2: Jaxx the Mercenary

The female half-merb charged down the hallway of the Cyclonian base, a loud red-alert alarm blaring through the building. She wore a brown and blue stitched Sky Knight suit, with a cowboy hat over her dark hair. Her ears were pointed like a merb's, and her skin was of a rusty-orange tone.

As she turned a corner, she was faced by three muscular Talons. "Freeze!" the middle Talon yelled, pointing his lance at her.

With a curt grin, the half-merb leapt high into the air, somersaulting above their heads, and came to land behind them. Reaching into her thigh pocket, she turned to face the Talons and swung three throwing knives at their backs. Without watching the Talons fall, or retrieving her knives, she continued to run down the hallway.

As she turned her final corner, she saw it- her escape window down the long corridor. Probably rigged with traps, she thought, casting her eyes down the hall. She glanced at her watch. She literally had minutes to go before-

Her ears pricked up at the sound of the many Talons charging down the hallways towards her, too many for her to take out. She had run out of throwing knives, and she was about to run out of time.

She looked down the corridor, "Bring it on Cyclonia." she took a deep breath, and began to run down towards the window.

As she had anticipated, two gun turrets burst out from openings in the metal walls and took aim at her. Before they had any chance of shooting her, she leapt at one and successfully destroyed it with a well aimed kick. She then whipped off her cowboy hat and threw it like a frizbee at the second gun turret. As the cowboy hat spun quickly through the air, metal spikes appeared around the rim and spliced the gun turret in half.

Returning the hat to her head, the half-merb continued her run down the corridor. Thin, sharp metal darts began to shoot at her from the walls, but she dodged them dextrously with a series of somersaults. The window was in sight, but a final challenge lay ahead, as a large metal gate came sliding down from the ceiling. She took a last jump, and dived down onto the floor, sliding on her stomach across the floor and under the gate. A few more running steps closer, and she approached the window. With her arms crossed protectively over her head, she dived a second time and crashed through the window.

"Oww..." she muttered as she fell down towards the wastelands. The small Cyclonian base had been built on a narrow spit of land in the middle of a wasteland plain.

The half-merb pulled a cord on the small backpack she was wearing and a parachute burst out and yanked her upwards into the sky. She checked her watch. Just in time for a dramatic countdown.

"Five... four... three... two... one..." she counted slowly.

From behind her, the Cyclonian base exploded in a ball of flame. She turned her head back and yelled triumphantly, "Take that, you Cyclonian scum!"

Unfortunately, despite the parachute bearing her away from the building, the explosion had kicked up a huge wave of wind that came hurtling towards her.

"Uh, oh..." she muttered as the wind came into contact with the parachute and she was pulled up and away through the clouds at a frighteningly fast speed.

To make matters worse, a large carrier ship appeared through the clouds and came towards her. She screamed as she careered past the ship's pontoons and smacked onto the ship's window. Groaning painfully, she peered down through the window at the pilot, a black-haired merb, who stared back at her with wide eyes.

She pulled her flattened face from the glass, "Er, hello?! A little help here please?!" she shouted.

A hand was suddenly thrust towards her, a hand she saw that belonged to a young man with crimson red hair, "Grab a hold! I'll help you!"

She obeyed and was led safely to an opening in the window and into the carrier. Inside was the red-head's squadron; the merb; a little blue rodent creature; a wallop; a young woman with warm brown skin; and another young man with yellow blonde hair.

She turned to the merb, "Thanks again for helping me out, by the way." she said sarcastically.

The merb smiled sheepishly, "Sorry..."

"What were you doing out there?" the red-head asked.

"Nothing that concerns you. My question is; What was your carrier ship doing out there flying at me?" she answered back.

"Was that what you were doing?" the merb asked, pointing at the rising tower of smoke in the horizon.

"Yep, that's exactly what I did," she smiled proudly, "I mean, they were just a bunch of Cyclonians, who'd miss them?"

The yellow-head stepped up to her, his eyes scanning her up and down, "So, you got a name?"

"Of course I got a name, everyone else does," she replied, "My name is Jaxxon Ryde, but everyone calls me Jaxx. That is, everyone who lives to tell the tale..."

The entire squadron looked at her with shifty eyes. She had them well and truly spooked.

"Relax, I'm just messing with you," she chuckled, "so, what do I call you guys?"

"Well, I'm Aerrow, and this is Stork, Radarr, Junko, Piper and Finn." the red-head introduced, "So Jaxx, where might your squadron be?"

"Oh, I don't have a squadron." Jaxx answered.

"What?" Finn suddenly gasped, "You don't have a squadron? But, everybody in Atmos belong to certain squadrons."

"Yeah, well, that's not really my sort of thing," Jaxx explained, "I mean, is it such a crime for me to be alone? I can cope fine by myself. I've got the skills, the moves, the weapons," she tipped her cowboy hat up with her thumb as she said this, "I'm a one girl army. Why would I need a squadron?"

"Wouldn't you get just a little lonely all by yourself sometimes?" Aerrow asked.

Jaxx's eyes suddenly turned cold, "Sometimes, Aerrow, it's best to feel lonely than to trust in someone who would turn their back on you when you least expected it."

Her icy remark silenced the bridge. Stork eyed her suspiciously.

"By the way, you guys do have a bathroom on this ship, I hope?" Jaxx asked, a cheeky smile suddenly appearing on her face.

"Yeah, it's just down there, second to the right, you can't miss it." Aerrow indicated to the living quarters.

As soon as Jaxx left the bridge, Finn turned to the others, "Man she is so weird..."

Piper shot him a filthy glare as he walked away to his room, "I'll admit she's a little strange, but I like her." she said.

"Me too." Junko agreed.

"And anyway it is great to have another girl on the ship again!" Piper exclaimed happily.

Jaxx suddenly entered the bridge, "Hey, I hate to worry you guys, but I think you've got a beetle problem..."

To be continued...

Please R&R! SS.


	3. Worm

**Caution: **The following chapter is a little on the gross side, but still enjoyable.

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Chapter 3: Worm

Finn screamed as the thin slug-like creature dropped down from the ceiling of his room and into his mouth. Before he had time to spit it out, the slimy bug slid down his throat. Panicking, Finn desperately coughed and heaved, trying to vomit out the strange creature. But a scream from the bridge averted his attention.

Entering the bridge, he met a rather unusual sight; Scurrying around on the floor was the largest beetle he had ever seen. It was shiny black, with a mouth full of sharp needle teeth and millions of twig-like legs. Radarr rode on it's back, attacking the exoskeleton with his fangs. Piper poked at it with her lance.

"This thing is so gross!" she shrieked.

Stork hit it with the flat of his katana, "I will not have vermin on my ship!"

"Hey! Ugly!" Aerrow shouted at it from across the bridge, drawing his blades, "Come get some!"

The beetle hissed at Aerrow and, shrugging Radarr off his back, began crawling towards him. Finn saw his chance and grabbed his bow, lying on the table. He took a shot at the beetle, it's exoskeleton cracking, and it fell on it's side.

"Great shot Finn!" Aerrow congratulated, picking up the beetle, "Junko!"

He hurled the insect at Junko and, with one well aimed punch, it went flying out the Condor's open window.

"Impressive," Jaxx commented, "Of course I would have done a better job of it all by myself."

Stork rolled his eyes, muttering, "Yeah, sure you could..."

"Horrible, nasty little thing," Piper mumbled, brushing herself down, "how the heck could it have gotten on the ship?"

"Beats me," Stork replied, "It's not everyday you get a Sharp-Toothed Raxian Beetle Beast running around a carrier. Maybe it was in season. We should search the ship for eggs!"

Stork switched the Condor onto auto-pilot and darted towards the living quarters.

"OK, so we're egg searching," Aerrow smiled at Radarr as he leapt onto his shoulders, "anybody coming?"

"No thanks, I've already had my fair share of bug watching." Piper declined.

"You and me both." Finn agreed.

"Well, I'm going to take a tour of this ship," Jaxx declared, walking away, "I'll give you a shout if I see any."

"If we find any, can we smash them?" Junko asked excitedly.

"Whatever you want, Junko." Aerrow replied.

Junko smiled "Let's do it!"

As Aerrow, Radarr and Junko left, Finn turned to Piper, "Could those beetles produce worms?"

"I dunno. Stork's usually the expert on bugs," she answered, "Why? Did you see any worms?"

"No, I'm just... wondering." he replied, looking down at himself worriedly.

* * *

"Man! There wasn't a single egg!" Junko groaned as he, Aerrow, Radarr and Stork returned to the bridge.

"Don't worry Junko, there may be some on the..." Aerrow trailed off and looked at Finn, sitting at the table, "er, Finn, what's that?"

"What's what?" Finn asked.

"That." Aerrow pointed at his arm. The muscle in his lower arm was bulging out unusually.

Finn looked and a smile crept onto his face, "Wow! That new work-out program really does work!"

He poked the bulge, and it quivered and began to move up his arm.

"What the-?" Finn gasped, horrified.

"Whoa! Moving muscles!" Junko exclaimed.

"That's not a muscle..." Stork muttered, "I've seen that before..."

"So have I," Jaxx added, peering over Stork's shoulder at Finn's arm, "Then again, I saw a lot of creepy stuff on Terra Raxia."

The Storm Hawks watched on as the strange bulge moved further up Finn's arm, across his shoulder, and into his chest.

"You've seen this before, Stork?" Aerrow asked.

"Yep, a long time ago..." he answered fearfully, "It may be a worm, but there's only one way to find out."

* * *

Stork led them all to his room. His latest creation was covered with a sheet, which he now pulled away, revealing a metal platform, a maintenance desk complete with a series of buttons and a monitor, and a sort of scanning machine hanging over the platform.

"This is my new X-Ray machine," he introduced, "Since my peepers worked to perfection, I decided to build the real thing."

"You built all this?" Piper asked, bewildered.

"It's what I've been working on for the past few weeks," Stork replied, "Finn, I'll need you to lie down on the platform."

Finn obeyed, "This isn't gonna hurt, right?"

Stork pulled down the scanner until it hung inches away from above Finn, "Just keep still."

He went to the maintenance desk and input a command. A red light shone down from the scanner and over Finn. An internal model of his body appeared on the monitor. A small yellow shape could be seen around the chest area.

Stork tapped the screen, "That's it. A Raxian Chest Worm."

"Chest Worm?" Piper asked.

"As the name implies, they take up residence in the chest area of hosts and feed on their nutrients. They exit the body after 48 hours or so and look for a new host." Stork explained.

"So, all we have to do is wait until Finn passes it, right? Then we can get rid of it." Aerrow suggested.

"Not exactly, Aerrow," Stork replied, "Chest Worms don't get passed. They stay away from the digestive system as far as they can, for obvious reasons. Instead, they exit through a host's body through the chest."

Finn sat up in shock and banged his head on the scanner, "You- you mean that- that-"

"That it's only a matter of time before that worm bursts from your chest and runs rampant around the ship." Stork interrupted his stammers.

"So, what do we do now?" Piper asked.

Aerrow watched Finn panicking on the platform. Then he turned to Junko, Piper and Stork and whispered, "I've got an idea, but Finn cannot know about it..."

* * *

An hour later, they all sat around the table, watching Finn's arm.

"And, we're doing this, why?" Finn asked.

"We're thinking about how to take out the worm." Aerrow lied. They were all waiting for the right time.

Sure enough, the bulge reappeared on Finn's shoulder and the worm travelled down his arm, under his skin. It passed through his elbow and into the lower arm towards his wrist.

"Now Junko!" Aerrow yelled, leaping to his feet.

Junko grabbed Finn's arm by his elbow and held on tightly, while Piper and Stork took hold of his wrist and pulled his arm down onto the table's surface. Finn screamed and watched in horror as Aerrow drew one of his blades.

"Aerrow, what are you doing?!" Finn asked fearfully.

"Just trust me Finn!" Aerrow answered.

With Junko's firm hand on Finn's elbow, the worm was trapped from moving back into his chest. Aerrow carefully cut open the skin around the bulge and peeled out the worm, tossing it to the floor. It was half a foot long and pink with Finn's blood, with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. Aerrow stabbed it, pinning it to the floor. It hissed and writhed, but eventually fell silent.

"Sorry Finn," Aerrow apologised, "but if we'd told you, you wouldn't have let us do it."

"Hell yeah!" Finn growled, cradling his cut arm.

"I'll stitch that up for you." Piper offered.

"Man, you guys are so full of surprises," Jaxx said, impressed from what she had seen, "In normal circumstances I would have gone straight for the chest.

Stork bent down to inspect the dead worm. Wrapped around it's neck was a thick metal ring. He slipped the ring off and looked at it more closely.

"If my suspicions are correct," he began, "then maybe this worm belonged to someone, and that someone put it on the ship for a reason."

"The Cyclonians?" Junko asked.

"Who else?" Stork shrugged, "I mean, who in their right mind would keep a Raxian Chest Worm for a pet?"

"You used to once, Stork, remember?" a thick voice suddenly bellowed through the bridge. In the midst of all the confusion, someone had entered the Condor.

To be continued...

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Please R&R. Pretty Please.


	4. Meet the Parents

I'm really sorry for the months of delay. A lot has happened since I last updated (as it always does in eight-ish months) but now I'm back on track.

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Chapter 4: Meet the Parents

Aerrow, Junko, Piper, Stork and Jaxx drew their weapons and turned around, facing the direction in which the voice had come from.

"Good. You're prepared. I'm impressed." came a reply. The Storm Hawks gasped and lowered their weapons.

Facing them now was a broad-shouldered Merb. From his faintly wrinkled complexion he looked to be in his early fifties. But his muscular body suggested incredible strength and power, even in his declining age. His jet-black hair was rough and untamed, and had grown some way down the back of his neck like a mane. Strapped to his back were two long scabbards, a pair of silver hilts poking out just behind his shoulders, and hanging around his neck on a gold chain was a dusky pink crystal.

"Sparrowhawk?" Aerrow gasped, bewildered. He returned his blades to their hilts, Junko, Piper and Stork following suit. Only Jaxx remained with her knife drawn, staring at the Merb and lost in thought.

"Dad?" Stork smiled, walking up to him, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, we spotted the Condor and decided to visit, if that's not too much trouble for you." Sparrowhawk explained.

Stork looked up at him happily, "It's great to see you Dad" he muttered and they both embraced.

Jaxx put away her knife and went up to Aerrow, "You know this old man?" she said to him inquisitively.

"Of course" Aerrow replied, "Sparrowhawk, Stork's father, is a high ranking Sky Knight. He's incredibly talented and a great fighter, which is unusual since most Merbs generally hate anything to do with fighting. He was also the carrier pilot for the original Storm Hawks."

Stork suddenly stiffened under his father's arms, "Wait, you said 'we', right? As in, you and-"

"Storky!" a shrill voice called towards the bridge, "Is that you, my darling?"

"Mom..." Stork groaned.

"Storky?" Junko nudged Finn sniggering.

"Darling?" Finn grinned, and the two burst into peels of laughter.

At that moment, a female Merb entered the bridge. She looked around Sparrowhawk's age, but was smaller and much more slender than her husband. She wore a pink dress and an apron and had tied her hair up into a tidy bun.

Stork forced a smile onto his face as she walked up and threw her arms around him, "Oh Stork! I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too Mom." Stork answered through gritted teeth.

She released him and looked at him, "It's so nice to see you dear, but - my goodness! What have you done to your hair?! You really must get it cut that style does not suit you!"

"Mom, I like my hair like this." Stork groaned.

She grabbed his arm and held it up, "Look! Do you let yourself get this thin?!"

"Now Fulmar, stop bothering him," Sparrowhawk placed his hands on her shoulders, "Stork is old enough to make his own decisions."

"Not unless I have a say in it." Fulmar insisted.

"Now dear, how about someone taking you on a little tour of the ship while I talk with Stork?" Sparrowhawk suggested.

"Sure, I'll take her." Piper offered.

"Hey! What about my arm?" Finn called after Piper as she and Fulmar left the bridge.

"I can patch it up if you want." Junko told him.

"You can sew? With your big hands?"

"You'd be surprised."

Stork watched Finn and Junko leave, "Thanks Dad, you really saved my butt."

"We do need to talk Stork," Sparrowhawk insisted, his tome turning serious, "about the Cylonian's invasion."

The back of Stork's neck prickled, "You know about that..." he muttered sadly.

"We were in Terra Atmosia when it was taken over, your Mother and I. We escaped, but I cannot express just how disappointed I was, seeing my own son driving the Condor into battle with his own home Terra. Your Mother doesn't know, but it would break her heart to find out what you did."

Stork bent his head in shame. It had been bad enough betraying his friends, but even his Father had known, and it crushed him to see him so disappointed in him.

Aerrow put a hand on Stork's shoulder in defense, "Sparrowhawk please, it wasn't entirely Stork's fault. The Cyclonians forced him into it. But he returned back to us and tried to put things right. And he was really sorry for what he did, and we forgave him. Isn't that what really matters in a team?"

Sparrowhawk looked at Aerrow thoughtfully, and a smile grew on his face, "Yes Aerrow, that's what matters. A great leader always looks for what's best in his team," he looked to Stork, "and I should follow Aerrow's example and offer my forgiveness too."

Stork raised his head, "Thank you, Dad. And, you won't tell Mom, will you?"

"It's probably for the best that she doesn't know. Anyway, you wouldn't mind if I had a little drive of the Condor, would you? It's been years since I last flew her." he asked.

Stork smiled, "Sure Dad, she's all yours."

Jaxx stood to one side, having heard everything. "How interesting," she thought, "that Merb was a traitor to his own team, and yet they still accept him? And his Father, a high ranking Sky Knight. Maybe he knows about... my own..."

* * *

With Sparrowhawk driving the Condor, Stork went to talk to Piper in her room. She was currently in the middle of an experiment, her desk flooded with an assortment of brightly coloured crystals.

"It's great to finally meet your parents. They're really interesting." Piper exclaimed.

"Well, you don't usually have a Dad that used to be a Storm Hawk." Stork smiled.

"I like your Mom. She seems nice."

"A little too nice, you might say," Stork groaned, "She always worries and fusses over me."

"She only does that because she cares. It's a Mother's job to care about her children."

"But I'm almost grown up and yet she still treats me like a child. I'm grateful that she cares this much for me, and I love her for it, but I wish she wouldn't embarass me all the time."

"And not just embarass you," Piper grinned, "remember that time some years back, before we became the Storm Hawks, when me and the boys had finally convinced you into getting your ear pierced?"

"Oh, don't remind me. Mom blew a gasket when I came home with these." Stork laughed, flicking the silver rings on his ear.

"You know, in her eyes you'll always be her little boy. She's probably just upset that you're growing up and that she's having to let you go."

"Yeah, I guess," Stork sighed, and peered over at Piper's desk, "So, what are you working on?"

"Oh! I'm trying a new experiment," Piper began to explain excitedly, "I read somewhere that a famous professor, who'd dedicated his life to researching the many uses of crystals, had discovered that some crystals can be powered by strong human emotions, like happiness, anger, sadness, love-"

Piper stopped abruptly as Stork picked up a red crystal and it began to shine brightly. There was a stunned silence between them, which was suddenly broken as Fulmar called down the hallway, "Dinnertime!"

Piper grinned, "Oh yeah, the tour got cut short. As soon as your Mom saw the kitchen, she was away."

"Mom always was one for cooking." Stork chuckled.

* * *

As the night drew in, Sparrowhawk began to summon his carrier, the Vulture.

"I put her on auto-pilot and set her to follow you," he explained to Aerrow, "she's pretty advanced, but not as efficient as the Condor."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay the night?" Aerrow offered, "We can make room."

"No thank you, Aerrow," Sparrowhawk declined, "we don't want to be a burden."

"You could stop at the next Terra for the night with us. We don't mind." Piper suggested.

"You just won't take no for an answer, will you?" Sparrowhawk grinned.

"You going to Atmosia?" Jaxx suddenly asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Sparrowhawk replied, "Why do you ask?"

"I need to get there to do some research. I'm looking for a Sky Knight. He was probably in the same rank as you. Maybe you know him..."

"Well, what's his name?"

Jaxx bit her lip, "You see, that's the problem; I don't know his name. That's why I need to go to Atmosia and check the records of all the Sky Knights who've served a minimum of twenty years. I have information of all the misdeeds he's done in the past, and as his-"

An explosion sounded and the Condor lurched violently. Stork lost his footing along with the others and fell to the floor. A small object rolled across the floor and up to his face. It was the metal ring form the chest worm. A small red light was blinking on it.

"It's a tracking device!" he wailed.

Aerrow pulled himself up and looked through the scopes, "Cyclonians!" he growled.

Flying behind the Condor was a heavily armed Cyclonian warship, accompanied by a wave of Talons. Sparrowhawk took control of the ship and drove her speeding away from the warship. But the gargantuan ship was faster than it looked and sped after them.

"They just came out of nowhere!" Aerrow exclaimed.

"They were bound to come back, especially him," Stork panicked, "He's finally come after me! He'll have my head! He'll have my guts! He'll have every inch of my body for what I did to him!"

Aerrow grabbed Stork by his shoulders, "Stork, listen to me! Dark Ace is dead! You killed him! He's not after you!"

"You killed the Dark Ace?!" Jaxx yelled in amazement through the chaos.

Another explosion sounded, this time from the back of the Condor. The ship fell sideways and began to plummet down from the sky. At the controls, Sparrowhawk had frozen, his arms shaking and eyes wide with terror. With Finn and Junko's help, Aerrow managed to pull him from the controls and Stork tried to get the Condor back on track. But he realised immediately that serious damage had been done to her.

"One of the engines has blown!" he told Aerrow.

"Is there anything you can do?" Aerrow asked.

As the Condor fell through the sky, Stork noticed a large Terra, not too far away. Using the second remaining engine, he steered the Condor towards the Terra. She was still falling but would land, not all too safely, on the Terra.

"Hold on!" he yelled back to his team, as the Condor approached land.

Stork gripped the handle bars of the controls tightly and braced himself. The Terra was rolling and mountainous, and the Condor bumped several times on the rough ground before noisily sliding some miles further. She eventually ground to a halt, her metal structure groaning and creaking from the rapid landing.

To be continued...

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Please R&R!


	5. Terra Helm

This chapter introduces my own Terra which is based on the Lake District. Also Jaxx will disappear in this chapter for a while but will be back in the next one.

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Chapter 5: Terra Helm

Aerrow struggled to his feet, rubbing his aching head. There was a small bleeding cut on the side of his face which Radarr now licked at from his shoulder. The others were all stumbling to their feet.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, we'll all live." Piper muttered.

"That must've been some landing," Aerrow looked out the Condor's window at the breaking dawn, "We've been out all night."

"Well, I tried to land as safely as I could." Stork grumbled.

"Sorry Stork. You did a great job," Aerrow replied, "Piper, got any idea where we are?"

"I'll have a look out. Even from all the maps I can't decipher where we are." Piper explained.

She left the ship through the open hatch and looked around her surroundings in the morning sunlight. The Condor had landed in a valley. The steep rocky hills seemed to touch the sky. As she climbed up the side of one of the hills to take a better look, she gazed dreamily at the layers of dense forestry further ahead and glittering blue lakes. She returned to the Condor excitedly.

"We're on Terra Helm," she explained to the team, "a large Terra well known for it's beautiful scenery, sloping mountains, slate rock hills and it's many lakes. Terra Helm is usually quiet and peaceful, so hopefully there shouldn't be any Cyclonians around."

"Not unless they find us." Aerrow added.

"They did find us," Sparrowhawk stated as he entered the bridge, wiping oil from his hands, "but since you were all unconcious for the whole night, they thought you were dead. They've gone for now. Anyway, I checked the Condor's engine and it's in pretty bad shape. I can fix her myself, but I'll need provisions from a supply depot."

Piper laid out a map on the table, "According to this, there's a small town some miles away. We can go there and check for one."

"And I can wait for the Vulture to find us and I can take her and look elsewhere." Sparrowhawk explained.

"Great! We'll go take a look around the Terra," Aerrow replied "let's get our skimmers."

"How about we walk instead?" Piper suggested.

"Why would you wanna walk when we have our skimmers?" Finn asked.

"Terra Helm is for walking," Piper protested, "if we take our skimmers we'll miss the natural beauty of the Terra."

"Come on Finn, just for a change?" Aerrow persuaded.

Finn sighed, "OK, fine. But you better not leave me behind!"

"You coming Stork?" Piper asked.

"No, I think I'll stay here." Stork muttered.

"Why not go with them?" Sparrowhawk shrugged, "I'll look after the Condor for you."

"It's not that," Stork replied, "I just don't feel up to it. I can feel a headache coming on, and my feet are unusually sore..."

"If you want, I can carry you." Junko offered.

Stork looked at him disgusted, "I don't need carrying! I can walk fine by myself!"

He then left the bridge and started down the open hatch.

"Well, guess I'll see you around." Jaxx said, watching Piper and Junko leave the ship.

"You're leaving?" Aerrow asked dumbfounded.

"I said I'd leave last night, remember? On Sparrowhawk's ship to Atmosia. I got stuff to do, Sky Knights to research. And anyway, I'd rather leave as soon as possible if I were you; I heard that this Terra has been in some big trouble recently."

"Whatever trouble the Terra is in, I'm sure we can handle it." Aerrow replied confidently.

"Yeah..." Jaxx grinned unnervingly and walked back into the ship, "Suit yourself. It's your funeral."

* * *

The Storm Hawks started their journey through Terra Helm, Piper leading with map in hand. She lead them out of the small valley and up a steep rocky hill. It was not long before Finn started to complain.

"How can... anyone... do this?" he gasped.

"Look, it's not much further up," Piper told him, "we just need to get up here to find the village."

"What was wrong... with the ma-argh!" Finn suddenly yelled, leaping into Junko's arms.

Aerrow ran down, "What is it Finn?"

Finn pointed towards a bush. A grey, woolly animal trotted out from behind it, it's footing somewhat lame, and let out a loud, hollow bleat.

Aerrow grinned, "Aw, come on Finn, it's just a sheep."

Finn peered at it, "Oh, I knew that."

Piper took a closer look at the sheep, "He doesn't look too good."

As the sheep began to limp away, saliva began to drip from it's mouth. Stork eyed it suspiciously.

"Ah, he'll get over it." Finn commented.

They all continued on up the hill until they reached a small, hanging cliff. Down below the hill, lying in another valley, was a small town.

"That's it!" Piper pointed down.

"All the way down there?" Junko gasped.

"Don't worry, it's usually easier going down than up." Piper reassured him.

"I just hope we can find a supply depot." Aerrow muttered.

Aerrow, Radarr, Finn, Junko and Piper started to make their way down, but Stork remained standing in fearful silence.

"Guys," he eventually said to them, "we're fenced in."

True to his word, a small fence of thin, metal wire stood around the side of the hill and trailed away in opposite directions of the Terra.

Aerrow looked at him confused, "Er, yeah, we sure are Stork."

"No Aerrow, look," Stork replied insistently, "it's not the old, dirty, wood fencing you get here. It's clean, metal fencing used to keep people out. It's only just been put up."

His pale yellow eyes scanned the fence, and his blood ran cold as he saw a large wooden notice fixed to the fence. The back of the notice faced them, but Stork was almost sure of what it said on the opposite side.

"Oh, no..." he muttered and went running down the hill towards the fence. Aerrow and the others ran after him as he heaved himself over the metal fencing and gazed up in silent horror at the notice.

"Stork! What's wrong?" Piper asked, and looked up at the sign. It read simply in bold, rushed letters;

**KEEP OUT**

**FOOT AND JAW EPIDEMIC ZONE**

"Foot and Jaw?!" Piper exclaimed in shock, "Terra Helm is under a Foot and Jaw epidemic?!"

"And we landed right in the middle of it..." Aerrow muttered, "This must be what Jaxx meant all along..."

"Why are we worried?" Finn suddenly asked, "Foot and Jaw only affects animals, and Radarr got his jab for it last month."

Radarr snarled at him in a 'don't-remind-me' tone from Aerrow's shoulder.

Piper also looked at Finn threateningly, "You know what Finn? If you'd paid more attention in biology class, you'd have known that merbs have genetic relations to many animals and are also susceptible to Foot and Jaw disease!"

Aerrow looked at Stork's frightened face, "You didn't get vaccinated against this, did you?" he asked quietly.

"No!" Stork wailed, gripping the back of his head in horror, "and I've already got it! The headache, the sore feet! I'll be drooling soon after!"

"Aw, come on," Finn moaned, "you're always complaining about getting some sort of disease, and you never get sick!"

"This time it's for real!" Stork whimpered, "I'll get shot..."

"Shot?" Junko asked worriedly.

"Foot and Jaw disease is highly contagious, and severely affects a farmer's produce," Piper explained, "the only way to prevent the spread of disease is to kill all animals infected. Merbs can be cured of it, but some farmers would rather shoot any merbs in the vicinity, just to protect their produce."

"Then we need to leave immediately," Aerrow decided, "and get Stork to a hospital just in case he does have Foot and Jaw."

"Over there!" came a thick voice from below the hill. The Storm Hawks peered down. Five raggedly dressed men were scaling the hill. Farmers.

"They've already found me!" Stork gasped.

But the farmers stopped by the lone sheep, still ambling on the grass. They inspected the sheep's mouth and feet and one of the nodded his head towards their leader, who was carrying a rifle. As four held the sheep still, the leader poked the barrels of the rifle into the back of the it's head. Stork covered his eyes, immediately before the loud gunshot rang out across the hills. The sheep slumped to the ground, blood running from it's mouth and the exit-wound between it's eyes. The Storm Hawks looked on as the farmers began to drag the carcass down the hill.

"That could be me..." Stork muttered fearfully.

"It won't be," Aerrow promised him, "I won't let them."

* * *

But there was more bad news to come as they arrived back at the Condor. The Vulture had already come and gone, Sparrowhawk and Jaxx with it.

"There's no telling how long he could be gone," Piper stated, "it may take him days to find a supply depot."

"As long as those farmers don't know about Stork, then he's safe." Aerrow replied.

"And what about the Foot and Jaw disease?" Piper asked.

Aerrow shrugged, "He might not have it."

"But what if he does, Aerrow?" Piper retorted, her voice cracking and tears brimming in her eyes, "He already has some of the symptoms, and day by day he'll just keep getting worse. If we don't treat the disease as soon as possible, it could kill him..."

Aerrow was struck hard by Piper's ultimatum and how upset she was getting; the situation was far worse than he thought, "What about our skimmers?"

"We don't have enough crystals to fuel them," she replied quietly and hopelessly, "We're stranded here."

"If the Vulture isn't back by tommorrow morning, I'll send out a distress call," Aerrow put his hands on Piper's shoulders and looked her in the eye, "I won't let Stork die, Piper, I promise."

* * *

Stork awoke from an uneasy sleep, aware that his condition had worsened overnight; the walls of his mouth and the soles of his feet were lined with sores, his skull drummed with pain, and he felt warmer than he usually did, much warmer. He groaned miserably at how fast the disease had spread. After struggling to get dressed, he limped to the bridge and met the shocked faces of his friends, "It's become much worse."

Piper sat him down at the table, "Aerrow, we have to get that distress call out to Sparrowhawk, now!" she ordered, "Stork, how bad are your symptoms?"

"Very bad," Stork replied sadly, "I'm drooling excessively, my feet are covered in blisters, and I can feel that fever getting warmer. Listen we can't tell Mom about this, I can't stand it to see her worrying about me."

"She'll have to find out sometime Stork," Aerrow told him, "we'll keep quiet for now, but once we get you to a hospital, we'll have to tell her. Don't worry, as soon as the Vulture arrives, you'll be safe."

A loud gunshot sounded from outside and a thick voice yelled, "Open up! We know you got a merb in there!"

"The farmers found us!" Piper gasped.

"I'm doomed..." Stork muttered fearfully.

To be continued...

* * *

Please read and review!


	6. Hunted

Well, due to the recent upsurge of reviews and alerts, I've finally put up another chapter.

* * *

Chapter 6: Hunted

Aerrow pushed down a button on the Condor's controls, "Condor to Vulture! Sparrowhawk, this is Aerrow! Stork is in serious danger, we need you over here now!" he yelled into a transmitter.

"Vulture to Condor, I'm on my way!" Sparrowhawk's reply crackled.

Aerrow turned to his team, "OK, we need to split up if this is gonna work! Piper, you go find Fulmar and escort her out of the ship safely. Junko, carry Stork to the emergency exit at the back of the ship. Radarr and Finn, we'll bide them some time and keep those farmers busy! Go, now!"

As Piper and Junko, carrying Stork on his back, ran immediately in direction of the living quarters, Aerrow, Radarr and Finn retreated to the runway to face the farmers, "There may be three of us, but we're skilled and we have weapons," Aerrow explained, "how hard can it be to take out a bunch of farmers?"

The runway's hatch was suddenly heaved open and around twenty or so farmers poured in, some carrying pitchforks, their burly and muscular leader holding a rifle, "Oh man, they got reinforcements!" Finn said worriedly.

Aerrow pulled his blades from their sheaths, "This is as far as you go!" he yelled.

The farmers took no notice and charged at them. The fight was short and fruitless. The farmers were unusually and unexpectedly strong and, within seconds, Aerrow and Finn had been pulled to the floor and pinned down. Finding that he could hardly move, Aerrow cried to Radarr, "Run! Don't let them get Stork!"

Radarr reluctantly left the runway, darting between the farmers' legs.

"Hold 'em steady boys!" the lead farmer shouted at the men who held down Aerrow and Finn, and turned towards the door to the ship's bridge, "Let's get that Merb!"

* * *

Piper ran into the kitchen, where she found Fulmar, "The Condor is under attack. Aerrow gave me orders to help you escape."

"What about my poor Stork? He's sick, isn't he?" Fulmar asked.

Piper looked at her, confused, "You know?"

"He was looking rough last night, and I heard you talking about the Foot and Jaw disease. I know I should have said something, but..." she trailed off, and a small smile appeared on her face, "Stork always hated getting vaccinations, he was afraid of needles."

Piper managed a small grin, "He still is," she heard a crash from outside and snapped back to the dilemma at hand, "listen, Stork is already on his way to an emergancy escape, but I have to help you to get out of the ship."

Fulmar looked at her sheepishly, "Well, you see, I already know all the escape routes. Sparrowhawk pointed them all out to me as soon as we'd arrived. I can make my own way out. Please Piper, help my son."

Piper smiled gratefully, "I will Fulmar."

Both Piper and Fulmar ran into the corridor and went their separate ways. As Piper retreated in the direction of the emergancy escape Junko and Stork were headed for, she heard a familiar squeak from behind her. "Radarr! Where's Aerrow? And Finn?" she gasped as the blue rodent approached.

Radarr pointed back down the corridor and began miming Aerrow and Finn's capture while making a series of random chirps. The large group of farmers suddenly appeared down the corridor and charged at them. "Run!" Piper yelled.

They darted down the corridor at great haste. Piper entered a room and slammed the door shut before the farmers had a chance to get in. Junko, with Stork cowering behind him, looked up at them, "Piper?"

"You have to get Stork off the ship now!" she ordered, heaving against the door as the farmers tried to break it down, "I'll hold them back!"

Junko stood thinking for a few seconds, "No! You get Stork off the ship, I'll hold the door! I can bide you more time!" and began pushing against the door with all his might.

Piper moved away and put her arm around Stork's shoulders, supporting him on his blistered feet, "Radarr, stay behind and help Junko," she commanded, "good luck, both of you!"

Piper helped Stork as he limped as quickly as he could through a series of rooms until they finally reached the emergancy exit; an open hatch leading to a small metal ladder on the back of the Condor outside. Piper looked out of the hatch - and met a terrible sight; there were more farmers gathered outisde, some already climbing up the ladder and blocking their only means of escape. Behind the door they had come through, Stork and Piper could hear the farmers approaching, "We're trapped!" Stork wailed.

Piper faced the door and curled her hands into fists, "We can't give up now, not now! We'll hit them with everything we've got!"

Stork drew his katana strapped to his back, but immediately had to steady himself, gripping Piper's shoulder, "I'm not sure I can, Piper" he groaned.

The walk up to the emergancy exit had put a lot of pressure on his sore feet and, with his growing fever, he was beginning to feel more sicker than he had been. A fight against the farmers was impossible in his state.

The farmers burst into the small, secluded room and set upon Stork and Piper. Stork was too weak to fight and was immediately disarmed of his katana. The farmers pulled him down and pinned him to the floor. Piper struggled against them as best she could, but was too overpowered and was soon pulled away from Stork and restrained by two of the farmers. She watched with growing horror as the leading farmer approached Stork with the rifle.

"No! You can't! Please!" she begged hysterically.

Under the weight of five farmers, Stork felt the cold barrels of the rifle being pushed into the back of his head, "Hold still," he heard the lead farmer growl as he loaded the his gun, "You won't feel a thing!"

Whether he would feel any pain or not, Stork did not want to die like this, not in front of Piper. After everything they had been through, he did not want her to see his head explode into a burst of blood from between his eyes, just after the bullet had torn through his brain.

With rising apprehension he fearfully awaited the shot, but a sudden crash from behind him as the door was kicked off it's hinges caused the lead farmer to pull the rifle away from his head slightly. Out of the corner of his eye a large, hulking figure towered over the farmers, "Get your hands off my son!" his deep voice roared angrily. Sparrowhawk.

At the sight of another Merb, the lead farmer turned his rifle towards him, but Sparrowhawk wrenched the gun from his hands and punched the lead farmer with his massive, clenched right hand. He fell back on top of his men who held Stork down, his mouth agape from his newly broken jaw. Sparrowhawk effortlessly bent the rifle in half and tossed it aside, and then descended upon the men piled on top of Stork, hauling them all up and throwing them across the room. As he began to move towards the two holding Piper, he drew a pair of long, silver hook swords from behind him, which began to glow flourescent green like Stork's katana. Taking note of the frightening weapons, the farmers immediately released her and escaped through the door, not wanting to share the same fate as their comrades. The rest of the farmers began to retreat, followed closely by their leader.

Sparrowhawk turned back to Stork, who had crawled into a corner after the farmers had been thrown off of him, "I'm glad I made it," he breathed heavily, his voice beginning to crack slightly, "I thought I'd lost you there..."

"Thanks Dad." Stork replied gratefully as Piper helped him to his feet.

Sparrowhawk managed a weak smile, then shook his head roughly, "We need to leave," he announced as he sheathed his blades, "I passed some Cyclonians on the way here. Looks like they're not quite finished with us."

Lead by Sparrowhawk, Stork and Piper escaped out of the emergency exit and down the back of the Condor. Nearby was the Vulture, a smaller carrier ship painted the colour of dark coffee. Just as Sparrowhawk had told them, two Cyclonian warships were descending around the carriers. "Follow me, hurry!" he commanded and lead them towards the Vulture.

As they turned a corner around the side of the ship, Stork met a sight he had long since dreaded; a small group of Talons faced them some metres away following their commander, sword in hand, a twisted scar on his face. Dark Ace.

Stork stopped in his tracks and his blood ran cold. The tyrant he throught he had killed only six months ago was now standing in front of him. Dark Ace also stood bewildered too, staring straight at Stork. His astonishment soon dissolved into anger, "You... how can you still be alive?!"

Sparrowhawk stepped out in front of Stork, looking at Dark Ace in disbelief, "Ace...?"

Dark Ace scanned them both with his single eye and his lips curled into a snarl, "So, you're _both_ here..." he growled, and he walked towards them, intent on only one cause of action.

Sparrowhawk pulled his hook swords from their scabbards and pointed them towards Dark Ace, "Not another step, Ace!" he commanded.

Dark Ace took no notice and crashed his own sword against Sparrowhawk's, "You should both be long dead by now!"

"Get in the Vulture, Stork," Sparrowhawk muttered, "I'll take care of Ace". With sudden and deft movements of his blades, Sparrowhawk hooked the rounded edges of his blades around the short sword effortlessly and pulled it out of Dark Ace's hands. With a straight kick to his gut, Dark Ace was flung against the Condor's side. The Talons ran forward to defend their commander, but they were all defeated within seconds by Sparrowhawk's sheer strength.

Piper supported Stork as he limped on board the Vulture. The nausea from the fever was becoming too much for him to bear and he felt lightheaded. As he stepped onto the bridge and saw his Mother at the ship's controls, the relief that surged through him caused his legs to buckle. He fell from Piper's hold and collapsed onto the cold metal floor, knowing no more.

* * *

Aerrow paced down the ward, inspecting the row of hospital beds until he finally reached Stork, his thin and haggard frame laid out on the white bed. He half-opened his eyes wearily, "Hey Stork," Aerrow whispered to him, "it's me, Aerrow. I can't stay, but I had to check how you are. The doctors said you're going to be quite rough for a few days, but apart from that you'll be OK."

The corners of Stork's mouth lifted into a tired smile, which soon disappeared, "I saw him, Aerrow..." he rasped.

"You saw who?" Aerrow asked quietly.

Stork was silent for a moment and muttered, "Dark Ace... He's alive, Aerrow... I saw him."

Aerrow was unconvinced, "Stork, you're delirious. Dark Ace is dead, remember?"

Stork groaned sadly. A nurse walked up to Aerrow, "I'm afraid you'll have to leave. He needs his rest."

"Alright," Aerrow nodded, and them whispered, "I'll be back soon, Stork, I promise."

* * *

"How is he?" Piper asked as soon as Aerrow had returned to the Vulture.

"He's tired, but we got him there quite soon, I was told," Aerrow explained, "the Foot and Jaw is only in it's early stages and he'll be better in the next week or two. Don't worry, Piper, Stork's far more stronger than we think he is. But there was something he said..." he trailed off, his voice growing quiet, "He said he saw Dark Ace, but that's impossible, right? We watched Stork kill him. There's no way he could be alive."

There was an uncertainty in his voice. Piper glanced at Sparrowhawk and answered quietly, "Stork was telling the truth, Aerrow. Sparrowhawk and I were with him, and we saw Dark Ace too. Somehow, he survived."

Despite almost expecting Piper's reply, Aerrow was shocked nonetheless. His shock soon turned to concern.

"Oh, man! That Dark Ace so has it out for your Stork!" Jaxx suddenly exclaimed as she stepped onto the bridge.

"Jaxx? You came back?" Piper asked in disbelief.

"How did you get on my ship?" Sparrowhawk also asked.

"I have my ways," Jaxx answered simply, "and, Hell yeah I came back! I now have the chance to take out the strongest Talon of them all! I wouldn't miss this for the Atmos!"

"If Dark Ace is coming after us, chances are he'll be after Stork first," Aerrow pondered, "It's just as well you did come back, Jaxx; we'll need everyone we can to defend Stork, especially in the state he's in now. We should take routine watches in the hospital just in case Dark Ace tries anything."

To be continued...

* * *

Please R&R! And so sorry for the long wait!


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